Kevin Durant supports former prep star’s decision to intern for shoe company

Share this:

Nassir Little #10 of Orlando Christian Prep is congratulated by teammates Keldon Johnson #23 of Oak Hill Academy and Darius Bazley #15 of Princeton High School after he won the MVP trophy in the 2018 McDonald’s All American Game at Philips Arena on March 28, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Nazreon Reid #5 of Roselle Catholic High School drives against Nassir Little #10 of Orlando Christian Prep during the 2018 McDonald’s All American Game at Philips Arena on March 28, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Black Team’s Darius Bazley #55 in action against the White Team during the Jordan Brand Classic high school basketball game, Sunday, April 8, 2018, in Brooklyn. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

The Black Team’s Darius Bazley #55 in action against the White Team during the Jordan Brand Classic high school basketball game, Sunday, April 8, 2018, in Brooklyn. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

The Black Team’s Darius Bazley #55 is interviewed at halftime against the White Team during the Jordan Brand Classic high school basketball game, Sunday, April 8, 2018, in Brooklyn. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

CLICK HERE if you are having a problem viewing the photos on a mobile device

OAKLAND — Darius Bazley, an 18-year-old former McDonald’s All-American, chose to de-commit from Syracuse last March, hiring prominent agent Rich Paul and deciding to use the next year to train for the 2019 NBA Draft.

On Monday, the Cincinnati-based prep star announced a partnership with the shoe company New Balance that will pay him at least $1 million — and potentially much more — to be an intern.

“It’s cool that he’s going to get some money,” Durant said. “I wonder what he’s going to do on the basketball court. But it’s good that he’s going to make some money while not playing.”

Bazley, who averaged 15.3 points per game for Princeton High School in Ohio last season, will spend time in New Balance’s corporate offices in Boston working in the marketing department as well as the company’s digital and social teams. Bazley’s internship, which begins in January, reportedly could be worth up to $14 million if the 6-foot-7 forward reaches performance-based incentives.

“I feel like they can use his young mentality,” Durant said. “When you’re that young, you can kind of know what the culture is, what the kids like and I think that will be cool to kind of give his opinion and input from a creative standpoint and also make some money.”

The announcement of Bazley’s new gig comes less than a week after the NBA’s G-League announced it would offer select high school prospects $125,000 to play a year in the developmental league before entering the draft. Durant, who has said he would’ve gone straight to the NBA following his high school graduation in 2006 if it had been an option, says he isn’t so sure he’d take advantage of the league’s offer today.

“I would’ve stayed in college,” Durant said. “It’s more friendly to kids. You can still get development, play on a team, build a camaraderie. Like that early, being 17 years old, not fully being a pro, but like a semi-pro, I probably wouldn’t want to do that.”

Durant added, “But it’s cool for some kids that want to do that. I’m not knocking that at all.”

In 2005, the NBA and its player’s association collectively bargained that a player had to be 19 years old or one year removed from his high school class graduation to be drafted. That year, Durant was a nationally ranked junior forward playing for Oak Hill Academy in Virginia with thoughts of bypassing college.

“I was hearing so much about me getting drafted if I went out of high school,” Durant said. “I probably wouldn’t have gotten drafted top 5, but I would’ve gotten drafted at 17, going to be 18. Who knows what I would’ve been if I went out of high school. I’m glad it went the way it did.”

Durant is the latest Warrior to show support for athletes bypassing college. Last week, coach Steve Kerr shared similar sentiments, citing the growth of the G-League.

“I’d like to see one-and-done’s done,” Kerr said, referring to players spending one season in college before entering the NBA draft. “I’d like to see players able to come out of high school.”

“I think the G-League’s so strong now that I think we do need some players to service it. The ones who don’t want to go to school but want to make some money, want to develop their games, I think the G-League is suitable for that.”

Logan Murdock covers the Warriors for the Bay Area News Group. The Oakland native interned at Turner Sports and the Memphis Commercial Appeal and was a member of the Sports Journalism Institute's 2017 class.